Frequently Asked Questions
Why the Ephesian Fund
First, lay people have said to us, “I don’t want to give my money any more because when I put it in the offering plate in my church it might be used by the diocese to support non-biblical churches.”. So, we are inviting people to give to the Ephesian Fund who will pass it on to your local parish church with a restriction that it has to be spent on orthodox purposes. This will enable you to continue giving to your local church, but it will mean that your PCC can’t simply pass it on to the diocese for the support of liberal parishes.
Second, clergy and PCCs are asking if they could make their voluntary parish share/common fund to the diocese through the Ephesian Fund, again with restrictions, and we are facilitating this:
- This will enable net giving churches to restrict their support for other churches to those that are holding on to the biblical and Anglican position on sexual ethics.
- If your church is a net receiver, the fact that you are ’linked’ as a recipient of the Ephesian Fund to other / larger evangelical churches in your diocese might put you in a stronger position in the event of a vacancy to resist being joined with liberal parishes.
There are several good reasons for giving through the Ephesian Fund. They include:
- It enables people/churches to give in good conscience.
- Every contribution amplifies the orthodox voice.
- Every gift or payment in a net-receiving situation allows poorer churches to have a voice and potentially to be protected by the bigger church/parish.
- Any net-giving parish is able to restrict its giving above ministry costs via the Ephesian Fund to orthodox parishes only.
The purpose of the Ephesian Fund is to enable evangelicals within the Church of England to continue to give in good conscience.
If your church is giving to the diocese via the Ephesian Fund, you can be assured that this is only being allocated to orthodox parishes. Therefore, there is no need for you to make your individual giving via the Ephesian Fund.
PCC/Church Giving
Yes this is possible simply by indicating in the instructions what you all want to do.Yes. We will work with you to pass on your gift in line with your instructions, and keep you informed as to our conversation with the diocese.
The diocese will be required to inform the Ephesian Fund as to which orthodox churches will benefit from parish share grants given through the Ephesian Fund. Only then will money be released.
The advantage of doing it through the Ephesian Fund is that it will record the allocation of monies from net-giver to net-receiver churches, which in the longer term might secure a future for less financially secure churches. The Ephesian Fund will also be able to support new ministries/initiatives as/when the General Fund grows.
The Ephesian Fund does not offer advice on how much a parish should give or not give, nor does it outline what qualifies as a reasonable cost of stipendiary ministry. You will need to assess this in your context.
Gifts made by your PCC for payment of parish share via the Ephesian Fund can only be used to support churches/ministries endorsing the CEEC basis of faith and additional declarations (because of the charitable objectives of the Ephesian Fund). The Ephesian Fund will require confirmation from your diocese of this.
If you choose to give to the general fund, gifts will be allocated by the trustees to support mission and evangelism in churches around the country endorsing the CEEC basis of faith and additional declarations.
Yes. PCCs can make a donation to The Ephesian Fund and ask that it be used to pay parish share to their diocese. The Ephesian Fund will require the diocese to ensure payments will only be used to support churches endorsing the CEEC basis of faith (including your own church).
The Ephesian Fund currently facilitates this free of charge, though we are grateful to a number of PCC’s who make a separate gift to cover the costs of running The Ephesian Fund.
Participation in the Ephesian Fund allows recipient churches to ‘have a voice’ at the current time.
If your church is a receiver from the Ephesian Fund, this link to other / larger evangelical churches in your diocese might put you in a stronger position in the event of a vacancy to resist being joined with liberal parishes.
Individual Giving
Gifts made to your local church/PCC via the Ephesian Fund can only be used to support churches/ministries endorsing the CEEC basis of faith and additional declarations (because of the charitable objectives of the Ephesian Fund). These gifts may not be used towards payment of parish share unless we are assured (e.g. because the church/PCC is paying its parish share via the Ephesian Fund) that the funds will be credited back to an endorsing church.
If you choose to give to the general fund, gifts will be allocated by the trustees to support mission and evangelism in churches around the country endorsing the CEEC basis of faith and additional declarations.
Yes. You will be able to indicate when making your donation that you would like the Ephesian Fund to allocate your giving to your local church. In order to receive your gifts, they will need to confirm that either the incumbent/minister and/or the PCC has endorsed the CEEC basis of faith, including its declarations.
It is recommended you check that either your incumbent or PCC will be able to endorse these prior to giving. Any giving we are unable to pass on will be allocated to our general fund.
Yes. You can set up a regular direct debit with a Stewardship Giving Account or Philanthropy Services Account.
Yes. UK taxpayers can complete a Gift Aid declaration with Stewardship that will enable you to boost the value of the gift you give by 25%. This ‘boosted’ gift will then be allocated according to your instructions.
Stewardship is a registered charity, number 234714. They have a Board of Trustees and are registered with the Charity Commission. They have over 100 years of experience of supporting donations made to churches and operate under all the normal charitable and financial rules and laws of the sector.
Stewardship connects and serves Christian givers, workers, charities and churches in the UK and beyond to steward their resources well and create impact for God’s Kingdom. Founded over a century ago by a small group of Christians who partnered to release generous gifts and financial support to Christian ministries, today, Stewardship helps over 30,000 people experience the joy of being generous stewards, giving more than £85 million each year to over 6,000 charities, 4,000 churches and 2,300 Christian workers.
If you choose to give to the general fund, gifts will be allocated by the trustees to support mission and evangelism in churches around the country endorsing the CEEC basis of faith and additional declarations.
The incumbent may express their personal endorsement via email ([email protected]), or the PCC may inform us that a motion has been passed which confirms theirs. In due course an online form will be made available.
General FAQs
Your allocated gifts will be assigned in accordance with your direction (and always to churches/ministries endorsing the CEEC basis of faith and additional declarations).
Your unallocated gifts will go where the need is greatest among the churches that the CEEC serves – to encourage and equip evangelicals in the Church of England to keep mission and evangelism as a permanent priority.
The Ephesian Fund currently does not charge individual or church donors a fee. Staff and administration costs are currently met through donations from individuals, churches and trusts.
Stewardship charges a small administration fee for receiving individual gifts. Details of these charges can be found here: https://www.stewardship.org.uk/giving-account-fees
All data is managed in accordance with our privacy policy (PDF).
The trustees will consider a wide range of initiatives including the support of ordinands, church plants, theological education and others.
No. Existing diocesan based Good Stewards Trusts are encouraged to continue until and unless they feel there is benefit in working at a national level.
